COLUMBUS - Steve Stivers' is closing his campaign's policy argument by focusing on health care.

Stivers held a press conference at Ohio State University on Thursday to formally announce his health care plan. While details came yesterday, Stivers' has been pushing a healthcare message on television for two weeks. This week his last television ad attacks Mary Jo Kilroy (D-Columbus) for wanting "government-run healthcare" that would "jeopardize access" to doctors and cost billions. At the same time Stivers is running a positive ad about his efforts in the state Senate to expand Medicaid benefits.

"I think that Democrats and Republicans alike can agree that goal has to be affordable, accessible health care for every American who wants it," Stivers said, adding that he thinks it's "criminal" when health insurers don't cover people with pre-existing conditions.

Stivers plan aims to expand making sure those who are eligible for existing public health care programs get enrolled and ensuring workers don't lose coverage when they lose their jobs. To drive down costs, tort reform, interstate health insurance competition and small business insurance pools should be instituted, he said. Finally, Stivers said electronic medical records would reduce costs and increase quality by eliminating duplicative testing and errors.

Stivers said Kilroy wants more government insurance, which would put people's health in danger.

"Certainly nobody can argue with a straight face that the government that responded to Katrina and not to the financial crisis could deliver highly-effective, cost-effective health care," he said.

Kilroy's plan calls affordable and accessable health care, the campaign said.

Communications Director Brad Bauman responded in a statement.

"Banking lobbyist Steve Stivers has taken over $250,000 in contributions from insurance companies since 2003 and is a board member of the National Conference of Insurance Legislators, an organization that explicitly works towards keeping lax regulations on insurance companies. Any healthcare plan that Stivers proposes will benefit his friends in the insurance industry, not you."